Faceoff Factor

A Week in the NHL: Feb 17-23

Ashley Gallant | National Hockey League

Feb 24, 07:54 PM | Hype this story!

Quote of the Week
I have to do what feels right in my heart. I just don’t think I can go to another team if I don’t want to play for another team. That wouldn’t be right to myself. That’s how I feel right now.’‘ – Mats Sundin

The Dominators
Thomas Vanek, Left Wing, Buffalo Sabres (5G, 3A, 4 games, 2 GWG)
Vanek is doing wonders in Buffalo and earning his paycheck. In addition to the stats above, he is in the midst of a 5 game point streak and has 11 goals (and 2 hat tricks) in the last 9 games.

Alex Kovalev, Right Wing, Montreal Canadiens (3G, 4A, 4 games)
Montreal is among 4 teams battling for the top spot in the East, and Kovalev is arguably the best player on the team. I admit, I wrote him off after last season’s antics, but I give him a boatload of credit for pulling himself together and competing.

Roberto Luongo, Goaltender, Vancouver Canucks (.951 SV%, 3 games)
Luongo and his Canucks are starting to turn things around. Luongo won all three of his starts this week, and absolutely stole the show against Nashville, stopping 49 of 51 shots.

The games that made you cheer. Or freak out. Or cry. Or all of the above.
Montreal Canadiens (6) New York Rangers (5) – Tuesday, February 19th, 2008
It was the week of ‘blown leads’ and this was the biggest of them all. In fact, I’m saying that this was the most exciting game of the entire season.

I’m sure most of you have heard about this game, but here’s a quick recap: the Rangers were up 5-0 by 5:03 in the second period and it looked like the Habs were done for the night. Then Ryder scored twice, Kovalev and Streit added a few, and then Kovie struck again to tie the game in the third. Captain Koivu completed the comeback for the Canadiens when he scored the only goal in the shootout.

This game was a record-breaking match. It was the first time in Canadiens’ history (99 years) that the team has won a game after being down by 5 goals. It was also the first time in Rangers’ history that the team lost after being up by 5.

Chicago Blackhawks (6) Los Angeles Kings (5) – Saturday, February 23rd, 2008
The Blackhawks were playing well against the Kings and were up 5-1 after 2 periods. But we all know the story – you take the foot off the gas, and the other team finds a way to bite you. Chicago watched as Los Angeles scored four times in the third period to tie the game, but the ‘Hawks scored the OT winner to save face (somewhat).

Colorado Avalanche (3) Phoenix Coyotes (2) – Friday, February 22nd, 2008
These two teams are battling each other for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. The Avs are currently 9th, four points behind the Predators and just one ahead of the Coyotes, but it was a win in this game that vaulted Colorado over Phoenix in the standings.

It was Paul Stastny’s first game back after having an emergency appendectomy in January, and he scored in the first period. However, the big story of the game was the ending – a 12 round shootout, the longest for both teams. It was left winger Cody McLeod, who has 8 points this season, who scored the game winner for Colorado.

Joe Sakic is close to returning to the team after being out since November with a groin injury/sports hernia. In fact, it may happen tonight when Colorado faces Edmonton. With Stastny, Smyth, and now Sakic back in the mix, Colorado just may squeak into the playoffs this year.

Dallas Stars (1) Detroit Red Wings (0) – Sunday, February 17th, 2008
A game between the top two teams in the League was bound to be interesting, especially when Team Number 1 was in the middle of a slump, and Team Number 2 had one of the best records in 2008. Unfortunately, the Red Wings continued their slump when they lost their 6th consecutive game, making it Detroit’s longest losing streak since January 1991.

One week later, the Red Wings are still the top team in the West but the Stars are starting to catch up to Detroit. It wasn’t long ago when the Red Wings had a seemingly insurmountable lead, but they are currently only 6 points ahead of Dallas and are without Lidstrom, Hasek, Rafalski, Kronwall and Chelios. With an inexperienced defence, and Chris Osgood slumping, can Detroit do better in their next ten games than their last ten?

Injury Report
The Detroit Red Wings’ defence
The Red Wings have only won one game in their last 9, and it’s only going to get harder. Lidstrom is out for another 2 weeks with a sprained knee, Rafalski is out with a groin injury, Hasek is out with a hip injury, and Chelios is day-to-day with a chipped fibula. That’s 3000+ games of experience that the Red Wings are missing.

Mike Richards, Centre, Philadelphia Flyers – torn left hamstring
Philadelphia hasn’t won a single game in their last ten, and the news is that Richards is out at least three weeks with a hamstring injury. Seeing as he is one of their best players, the Flyers may have a hard time finding their way back into the top eight in the East.

Stu Barnes, Centre, Dallas Stars – partially torn retina
The veteran centreman for the Stars will be out of the lineup for 7-10 days as he recovers from surgery to repair his eye. He had laser surgery on the 20th, so he should be back mid-week or next weekend as long as there are no setbacks.

Odds and Ends
Gagne done for the season
Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers was told this week that he was finished for the season. Gagne has suffered three concussions since the fall, so this is a smart decision on the part of the Flyers.

Simon returns
Chris Simon of the New York Islanders returned this week after serving a 30-game suspension for stomping on Jarkko Ruutu’s leg on December 15th. I wonder – has he learned his lesson yet? Only time will tell, but something tells me that we won’t see him in the League next season.

Manitoba Moose goaltender scores in OT
Drew MacIntyre was credited for an OT goal in Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Wolves. The fluky goal happened when Chicago’s Steve Martin tried to get the puck to the point, but missed the mark and went down the ice and into his own net. Chicago goalie Pavelec was on the bench because of a delayed penalty.

MacIntyre becomes the 9th goaltender in AHL history to ‘score’ a goal.

Kostopoulos = Free Man
Charges will not be laid against Tom Kostopoulos of the Montreal Canadiens for resisting an officer without violence in relation to an incident in Florida on February 11th.

Early that morning, a number of players from the Habs were at a nightclub in Tampa and Ryan O’Byrne was found outside of the club with a woman’s stolen purse and cell phone. Officers asked the crowd to step back from O’Byrne, but Kostopoulos refused to obey their orders.

O’Byrne was charged with felony grand theft, and the charge is still pending.

Bieksa returns to Vancouver
Defenceman Kevin Bieksa returned to the Vancouver Canucks on February 21st after missing most of the season with a deep laceration to his calf. He suffered the injury in a game against Nashville on November 1st.

Nike gets out of the hockey equipment business
In a move that was not surprising, Nike sold Bauer Hockey this week for $200M. The investment group that now owns Bauer is led by Montreal businessman Graeme Roustan and the American private equity firm Kohlberg & Co.

I admit, I know next to nothing about business, but I see this as a good move for Bauer Hockey because it allows the company to focus solely on hockey equipment. They do not need to attach a ‘Nike’ brand to it – Bauer is a bigger brand name to hockey players than Nike could ever be. Nike does so many things and has its fingers in so many pots that it was almost like Bauer got lost in the shuffle at Nike headquarters.

The Week Ahead
Trade Deadline Frenzy
Tuesday is the NHL’s trade deadline, so get all your info here at Faceoff Factor. Michael Farkas will provide live coverage all day on February 26th.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers – Wednesday, February 27th, 7:30 PM ET
Speaking of the trade deadline, one of the biggest stories leading up to the big day is Toronto. Will Mats stay or will he go? McCabe? Gill? Kaberle? This game could be our first glance at a new Leafs team.

Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks – Thursday, February 28th, 8:30 PM ET.
It’s really fun to watch the Dallas Stars as they try to overtake the Detroit Red Wings for top stop in the NHL, and it’s really fun to watch the young talent in Chicago as they develop into superstars. That should be enough of a reason to watch this game.